The CDC's public guidance during this pandemic is going to end up in communications classes alongside New Coke and the Osborne 1. They're so lucky they were bailed out (mostly) by vaccines. They opened by saying masks didn't work (a straight up lie, even if a well-intentioned one) and stuck to that line for at least a month. Then they did a 180, deleted their tweets, and spent the rest of 2020 saying masks were necessary. Then it was no masks for the vaccinated. Now it's masks for everyone again. Along the way they've somehow managed to lag and jump ahead of the actual research on masks and public trust in the CDC, their greatest asset, is now around 52% - poetically the same as the US vaccination rate.
I'd love to see a teacher try and mandate correct use of masks on a bunch of 2 year olds :D
Re:The Coronavirus Is Here Forever
by spookthesunset on Monday August 23, 2021 @05:16PM
(#28282083)
CDC doesn't make public policy. Nowhere did you mention what the harms of this forced mask use could be on kids. Even if masks offered some protection it has to be balanced against all manner of long term social, language and developmental effects caused from wearing a mask.
"Due to the circulating and highly contagious Delta variant, CDC recommends universal indoor masking by all students (age 2 and older), staff, teachers, and visitors to K-12 schools, regardless of vaccination status."
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/schools-...
Also, the very study NYMag talks about still recommends: "Because universal and correct use of masks can reduce SARS-CoV-2 transmission (6) and is a relatively low-cost and easily implemented strategy, findings in this report suggest universal and correct mask use is an important COVID-19 prevention strategy in schools as part of a multicomponent approach."